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Living a life which is nothing short of inspiring is Krishna Nagar, India's para badminton champion who has brought pride to the nation by winning the Gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Having a plethora of crowning achievements under his belt, Krishna was not initially in a position to answer his critics and has let his medals speak for themselves.
Nagar has brought glory to the country on multiple occasions and his journey has been one which can inspire anyone. As he sets his eyes on the upcoming tournaments, he opened up on the difficulties and challenges that he faced during his early days and what impact the pandemic had in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda. Read all that the ace shuttler had to say in excerpts from the interview:
Q: Your journey has not been an easy one by any means. What were the challenges you faced and how is the situation now?
A: From the beginning, before 2017, people used to say plenty of negative things about me but I never paid heed. I still don't but back then, I felt that I had to achieve something.
People used to say that 'Krishna you can't do anything in your life' so I used to think who are these people to talk about my life and decide whether I can achieve anything or not.
After 2017, my life completely changed. As time passed, my achievements grew. So now, everything is under control. Whoever used to say taunt me, I feel happy that I have achieved something for myself and for my family.
Q: How important has staying mentally strong been when there were so many critics? How did you maintain your mental health?
A: Being mentally strong became a habit. People could continue speaking whatever they wanted to. Before 2017, I never used to say anything to anyone. I think my strength is that I was always mentally calm.
I never used to say anything to whoever taunted me. I used to remain calm. I sometimes used to take their taunts as a joke and continued with life. However, now people have started to recognize me. Their mentality is changing since then.
Q: How big of an impact did the pandemic have on you? How did you deal with those sets of challenges that no one saw coming?
A: The biggest difficulty is that our Paralympics got postponed by a year. In 2019, I qualified for the Paralympics. But in 2020, we were not accustomed to staying at home and we couldn't do anything from home. At the time, I continued with our physical fitness at home. I worked out at home.
The government, whether State or Central, was very supportive. If we wanted anything, they used to provide it. For example, there was the TOPS (Target Olympics Podium Scheme) scheme - that used to provide us with plenty of stuff whenever we wanted help. Weekly or monthly they used to call and ask us how our day was, how our life was going. They were very supportive.
Our daily practice had stopped completely. If you do something regularly and it stops suddenly, it feels awkward. As soon as the restrictions opened up, I started training. As the stadiums opened, I started playing with precautions to get into my rhythm once again.
Q: Would you consider the Gold at the paralympics to be your biggest achievement? How did you feel when you won the Gold?
A: Obviously. It is the biggest achievement of my life. It is my crowning achievement to have won such a big medal for my country and myself. My journey from 2019-2021 has been my best. My life changed completely because of the medal. People know me now, the public recognises me now.
The way the Indian government showed the entire tournament live, showed people the paralympics - it is a very big thing. Reaching the sport to the people was a big achievement. Para badminton was introduced in the paralympics for the first time, and the coverage of it has been fantastic.
After paralympics, the players have improved all over the world. The older players are improving and the newer players that are coming through are much more skilled. There are a lot of changes and the mentality around para players has changed too.
Q: You mentioned players coming through are more skilled now. Do you have any advice you'd like to give the next batch of para shuttlers?
A: I think I would like to say that the way players are improving - it is very good for the game. I would just like to tell them to keep going and keep working hard with honesty. One day, they will achieve what they want if they are putting in the efforts in any field. If you lose once, you should not give up or be discouraged or get demotivated. Don't worry, be patient and continue your work. One day you will win.
Q: 2023 has been a fantastic year for you so far, winning a Gold and Bronze at Thailand Para Badminton International and a Silver at the Bahrain Para-Badminton International. What have you set your eyes on next?
A: This year my main plan is to qualify for the paralympics. Between this, we have Asian Games and World Championships. I want to win these both because I have never won the World Championships and even in the Asian Games, I have not won Gold.
My efforts will go towards winning Gold in both. Paralympics will follow and on the basis of these two competitions, our rank for the Paralympics will be decided since these are included in the Paralympics.
Q: What is one message you'd like to give the fans who have been following the sport and for the new fans who are joining in?
The manner in which you have supported me, please continue that. I will try my best. I would like to tell people to do their best in whatever they are doing. Do it in a good way and with patience. If you enjoy it, keep continuing it. If you keep doing it with hardwork, honesty and loyalty, one day you will succeed and you will achieve it. At that time you will realise that you did not give up. That will give you motivation.
